


Planning Period

by ratty_basterd



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: AU, Blind Character, Cats, Co-workers to lovers, College, Homosexual, M/M, PTSD, School, Sugar Daddy(?), Trauma, Wholesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27607682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratty_basterd/pseuds/ratty_basterd
Summary: Rayrard college fic for H0USEOFW0LVEZ on twitter :)
Relationships: Ray Toro/Gerard Way
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

It was 7:30 in the morning of Monday, August 15, 2010. 

It was Professor Way’s first day of teaching.

He stood at the door where students entered and said good morning to all of them. Some ignored him, some faked smiles, and some waved. They all took their seats in the lecture hall, scattered throughout the first few rows. “Good morning, class.” Gerard said, earning silence from his class. “I know, I’m tired too.” He said, the class chuckling at his joke.

“Welcome to art.”

-

Ray was sorting out his English books as the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. He started passing them out to his students, some of whom were surprised. “Wait, we don’t have to buy our books?” One student asked. “No. It’s hard enough for some of you, anyways.” Ray replied, earning a hopeful look from the student. “Thank you,” he said, taking the book from Ray. He smiled at the student before passing out the rest of the books.

“Alright. Now that we have that out of the way, hello.” Ray started, walking back to the front of his lecture room.

“Welcome to English.”

-

Gerard thought he taught well. Of course, it being the first day, not much was actually taught except for introductions and how to be inclusive. With every school, though, there were always going to be kids who were disrespectful about it. 

“Wouldn’t have joined art if I knew we were gonna be taught by some faggy retard,” one student said as he was walking out of the door. “Excuse me?” Gerard stood up, fury in his eyes, looking directly at the student who insulted him. “Me?” The student asked, looking around as if he were playing dumb. “Yes, you, asshole.” Gerard was on fire. He marched right over to the student and stood right in front of him. “You will never say slurs like that ever again in my class. If I hear it or see it one more time I will report you to my higher ups and you will be kicked out of my class. Coming to Harvard is a privilege some of us don’t have. Some of us grew up on bread and butter and the clothes on our back. You respect your peers or else they will not respect you.” Gerard ended, locking eyes with the student. “I u-understand, sir,” He said, before turning around and briskly leaving. Gerard sighed. 

He turned back to his class and one of the students walked towards him. “Thank you for standing up to people like that,” She said, holding her ebony arms close to herself. “You’re welcome,” Gerard replied. “Just know that I care about every one of you in here, okay?” Gerard said before his students left. The students left with smiles on their faces, memories of their badass art teacher fresh in their minds. 

-

Ray was picking on students to ask questions about him. So far he had gotten generic ones—where are from, how old are you, do you have a significant other—he wanted deeper ones. “Yes, you in the back?” He said, pointing to a jock in the back. “What’s your real name?” He asked, confusing Ray. “What do you mean?” Ray asked. “Well, you’ve got curly hair and...prominent facial features...” Ray put a hand up and cut the student off. “I’m ending it there. My name is Raymond and that’s final. Come talk to me after class,” He said, turning around to write a reminder on the board.

-

Gerard sighed, slumping down in a chair at the teacher’s table in the cafeteria. He rubbed his eyes and yawned silently, before forcing himself to sit up and take a bite of his lunch. 

“May I sit here?”

Gerard looked up and saw a 6’ tall man with tan skin, brown eyes, and a halo of brown curly hair, dressed in a turtleneck, matching suit and gold necklaces. “Sure,” Gerard said, staring at the guy’s gold framed glasses. He looked rich. 

The guy put his tray full of lunch on the table and sat down. He put his hand out for Gerard to shake. “I’m Ray Toro,” He said, smiling when Gerard shook his hand. “I’m Gerard Way. He/they, please.” Gerard mentally kicked himself. He shouldn’t have said his pronouns—not everyone supported the changing of them. Ray said, “Oh, thanks. Mine are he/him, by the way,” reassuring Gerard. They pulled their hands away with pink on their cheeks. “I teach English down in the Green hall—what about you?” Ray asked, opening his thermos. “I teach art—well, up until now. I teach the concert bands and then marching band last period. We have after school practice today,” Gerard explained. 

“Oh, that’s cool. Man of many talents,” Ray commented, eating a spoonful of what looked like chili from a styrofoam bowl. Gerard smiled. He felt accepted.

“Also, uh, as a side note, I have ADHD.” Gerard said, stimming with his hair. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m dyslexic,” Ray said, smiling. Gerard laughed. “You’re an English teacher and you’re dyslexic?” He asked, chuckling. “I didn’t know until last year, man. Give me a break!” Ray retaliated, making Gerard laugh louder. 

They talked about their backgrounds and how their weeks had been going, up until the bell rang and they had to get to their classes. “I assume I’ll see you tomorrow?” Ray asked. “Yeah, sure. If you wanna visit band practice tonight we’ll be in the stadium. You can come over then, around 6.” Gerard said. Ray smiled. “Thanks,” he replied, gathering his lunch stuff and walking to his class.

-

alright there’s chapter one


	2. chaptah dos

Ray was standing next to Gerard who was on his platform, standing at attention, waiting for the band. Gerard raised his hands and said a three word chant, which was replied to from the band with a “go!” and a raise of their instruments. Ray was impressed. They had their shit together, for all he knew. The senior drummer clicked her sticks four times in unison with Gerard’s hands, marking the tempo for the music. The band started, playing their music and running through the piece as smooth as butter. 

It wasn’t long, though, as they ended and put their instruments down from their faces and stood still. “Recover,” Gerard commanded. The band relaxed and put on a more casual stance, quietly chatting amongst themselves. “That was awesome,” Ray said to Gerard, gaining a beaming smile from him. “Don’t tell me, man,” Gerard said, stepping down from his stand. Ray chuckled.

This year would be fun.

-

Ray was taking attendance when Gerard stepped into the classroom. “Yes?” Ray said, looking up at his co-worker. Gerard stepped over to him and handed him a folded up piece of paper. Ray unfolded it out of the classes eye and saw that it was a hand written note. It read, ‘Sorry for not being able to tell you this before school started, but do you want to leave campus to get lunch together? It’ll be a date. What do you say?” Ray looked up at Gerard, his cheeks pink. Gerard was biting his bottom lip, flushed as well. “Yeah, I’ll join you.” Ray said. 

Gerard smiled. “Thanks. I’ll meet you outside your door,” Gerard said back. Ray folded up the note and pocketed it as Gerard turned and left to go to his own class. 

Ray left lightheaded. Gerard liked him? More than a friend? He couldn’t believe it. He pushed the thoughts out of his head and went back to teaching his class.

The period didn’t feel real. Ray’s head wouldn’t let him focus on anything even remotely English. All he could think about was Gerard. He knew the bare minimum of the guy and now he wants to know more. Ray decided to let his class govern themselves for the day and let them use the rest of class to study. Ray sat down at his desk and took the note out of his pocket and unfolded it. His heart felt fluttery. Did he like Gerard? Maybe. Did he want to? Absolutely. He shoved the note back into his pants pocket and put his head on the desk, conflicted.

-

Ray packed his stuff up as his class left, the bell ring signaling the end of third period and the beginning of lunch. He slung his book bag over his shoulder and pushed his desk chair in, walking over to the door and turning the lights off as he left. He leaned against the wall, waiting for Gerard to appear from his music classes. He felt unreal. Going on a date with someone you just began to know wasn’t that new—it was that he 1) was doing it with a guy and 2) hadn’t done it in a while. It scared him.

Just as his thoughts were turning around, Gerard appeared at the end of the hallway. Ray inhaled and smiled, walking towards Gerard. “Where are we headed?” Ray asked once he caught up with his co-worker. “Uh, I thought the cat cafe downtown was a good spot, so…I got us a reservation,” He said, his cheeks pink. Ray smiled. “That sounds great, Gee. Thank you,” Ray replied, earning a smile from Gerard.

“Here, we’ll take my car. You wanna drive?” Ray asked Gerard once they got out to the parking lot. “Sure,” Gerard said, catching the keys to Ray’s car as Ray tossed them at him. They got inside and buckled up, Ray tossing his school stuff in the backseat. “I’ve never driven a Porsche before, wow,” Gerard said, turning the car on. “Yeah, I’ve been saving up ever since sophomore year. 2010 Cayenne, she is,” Ray said, blushing. “God, what other jobs have you had?” Gerard asked jokingly, pulling out of the parking lot.

Shit.

Ray didn’t want to answer that question. He hoped Gerard wouldn’t ask him but after seeing the car he drove and the clothes he wore it was bound to happen. “I- uh, well,” Ray started, looking out of the window at the cars passing them on the road. “It’s- well, it’s complicated.” Ray started. “Was it, like, crime?” Gerard asked. “Uh, in a way, yeah.” Ray answered. Great. Now Gerard thought he was a criminal. 

Ray looked over at Gerard, who looked confused. “I just- it was a bad time in my life, some- some shit happened because of it, so I- I don’t talk about it. It’s a taboo subject for most people.” Ray explained. Gerard’s eyes widened. 

“Was it…was it sex work?” He asked Ray. 

Ray sighed as the car pulled into the parking lot of the cafe. “Yeah.” He answered. “Prostitution is a crime in many states. I got wrapped up into some, like, mafia-type shit and- I mean, they’re in prison, but. I don’t talk about it. I don’t want word getting back to them. They told me if I said anything about it they’d kill me. They were my income for…the longest time. Teaching helps.” Ray went into detail. “Damn. And I thought my baggage was heavy.” Gerard commented, lightening the mood, making Ray chuckle. “Well, we can talk about it later, if you’d like. Right now, we have a date.” Gerard comforted Ray as they got out of the car. They walked into the cat cafe happily, smiling at the barista as they walked in. “Hi, what can I get for you today?” She said, scratching the ears of a fluffy grey tabby in her arms. “I’ll take a medium caramel latte with vanilla, please. No whipped cream.” Gerard said confidently. “Lemme have the mocha cookie latte, please. Medium.” Ray answered. “Anything else?” The barista asked, putting the cat down on the counter and placing their order. “Ooh, how about those sugar-cinnamon donuts?” Gerard said, smiling. “Sure. Your total is $15.75,” The barista answered, taking Gerard’s credit card from him and swiping it on the machine. “Your food will be out shortly,” She said, handing Gerard’s card back to him. “C’mon, Christopher,” Gerard picked up the cat on the counter, clearly knowing it by name, and held it like a baby, rubbing it’s belly as he walked over to one of the many tables in the room. 

Ray smiled as he sat down next to Gerard. “You know the cats by name, here?” Ray asked, joining in on giving Christopher the cat scratches and loving. “Oh, I’m well known by them. Sometimes I leave my jacket here for any new cats that want to know my scent,” Gerard explained. Ray’s heart melted. The way Gerard was looking at Christopher and how he smiled, how his eyes glistened with love for the cat in his arms. “I really want to take Christopher here home but I haven’t been able to. He came from an unlicensed pure-breeder so he costs a lot more than a regular cat, and I’ve got groceries and bills to pay, so. My heart’ll have to stay broken for a while,” Gerard said, his facial expression turning melancholy. “This place really helps, me, y’know?” Gerard started, his voice sounding strained. “I- I like to come here when I’m unstable, y’know, like- like panic attacks, and- when life’s too much for me, sensory overload, the cats- they really ground me, Ray, they do,” Gerard’s eyes were watery. He blinked once, twice and they fell, sliding down his cheeks and hanging onto his jaw. “I know,” Ray said, quietly, wrapping an arm around Gerard and letting Gerard cry into his shoulder.

Ray was gonna buy that goddamn cat for Gerard no matter how much it cost.

“Oh, our stuff,” Gerard noticed the barista walking over to them, holding their drinks and the plate of donuts. “I thought you might need these too, Gee,” She said, handing him some tissues. “Thank you, Riley,” Gerard said, wiping his tears away and sniffling. Riley walked away after giving the pair their food, leaving them to their own business. Gerard put Christopher down and sipped his drink. “Do you know how much he costs?” Ray asked, referring to the cat. “Oh, like, over 500?” Gerard said, grabbing a donut hole and dunking it in his coffee, before taking a bite. “Wow. Yeah, that’s expensive,” Ray said, making Gerard chuckle. 

The pair chatted back and forth, occasionally playing with the cats that were brave enough to say hi to them. 

They ended up buying more donut holes and two sandwiches, their hunger getting the best of their wallets. “I’m gonna use the bathroom,” Gerard said, getting up from his seat. “Alright. I’ll be here,” Ray said. Gerard disappeared into the restroom and once Ray was sure he was busy, he picked Christopher up and walked over to the counter. “All of these cats are up for adoption, right?” He asked, absently petting the cat in his arms. “They sure are. You taking Christopher home?” The barista asked. Ray nodded. “Gerard really wants him, y’know. Thought I could do something nice,” Ray said, taking the paperwork and a pen over to the table he and Gee were sitting at. He filled out all of the forms necessary, occasionally petting Christopher, who was sitting next to him in the booth. 

Ray quickly handed the papers back to the barista, who said she’d get it over to the right people that night. “He’s all yours. Well, Gerard’s,” She said, giving Ray a cardboard carrier for Christopher. “Thanks,” Ray replied, his chest fluttering. Ray walked over to his table and put Christopher in the box, making sure the holes at the top were open for him to see. Ray cleaned up the mess left behind from lunch and sat down next to the box, hiding it from Gerard’s view when he finally came back from the bathroom. “You ready to go back?” Ray asked. Gerard nodded. Ray picked up the carrier with Christopher in it and Gerard stared at him once he stood up. “Yeah, we should probably stop at your place before we go back,” Ray said, smiling.

Gerard was frozen. “You,” He stammered. “You bought him? For me?” Gerard asked, his eyes glassy with tears. “Yeah,” Ray replied. Gerard’s breathing went shallow and he broke down, walking into Ray’s arms, crying. “Thank you,” He said, hiding into Ray’s shoulder. “C’mon, we gotta get him home.” Ray said, planting a kiss on Gerard’s forehead. 

-

I’m pretty sure I picked it up at the right spot, please say sumn if I didn’t ahaha


	3. Chapter 3

“Wait,” Gerard said, putting a hand out to stop Ray before he walked off to his car. “Number?” Gerard asked, holding out his phone for Ray to take. Ray smiled. “Sure,” He said, grabbing the phone and putting his number in. “I’ll call you tonight,” Gerard said, taking his phone back and planting a kiss on Ray’s cheek, before turning around and walking to his car. Ray stared at him as he left, his left cheek tingling. “My god,” He whispered, turning to go to his car and head home.

Ray got home at 2, like usual, parking in his garage and walking in through the garage door. Pummeling thumps were heard and a German Shepherd peeked it’s head around the corner of the stairs going up from the landing, panting happily. “Hey, Cotton,” He said, kicking off his shoes and hanging his book bag on the coat rack behind the door. Cotton ran down the stairs and jumped on him, trying to give him doggy kisses. “I know, I know, I’ll take you on a walk, just let me get changed.” Ray told her, going upstairs into his bedroom and changing out of his work clothes into sweatpants, a tee-shirt and vans. He walked back down to the landing and grabbed her leash and harness, putting both of them on her and walking out of his door. 

They took the longer route that night. Cotton pulled on her leash a lot that time, and so Ray reluctantly jogged with her. She liked running and Ray loved her—he couldn’t make her sad. The pair got back home around 3, Ray all sweaty and Cotton tired. “Come here, girl, He said, leaning against his closed front door and sliding down it, sitting on the ground. She sat between his legs and licked his cheeks, reminding him of Gerard. “I’m just getting all of the kisses tonight, huh?” He asked her, scratching behind her ears. His phone buzzed in his pocket, the ring loud and surprising. It was probably Gerard, calling as he said he would.

“Hey,” Ray said, answering the call. “Ray!” Gerard casually cheered, making Ray smile. “How’s the cat doing?” Ray asked, remembering their date from earlier. “He’s doing really good. I think I’ll put a tracker on his collar and let him outside tomorrow to see if he’ll come back. Cats like going outside, too, y’know,” Gerard said, making Ray chuckle. 

“I really wanna come over.”

Ray smiled. “I mean, my parents aren’t home,” He said, making Gerard laugh sweetly. “Send me your address. I’ll be over in a bit.” Gerard replied. “See ya then,” Ray said, pulling his phone away from his ear and hanging up. He quickly added Gerard’s number to his contacts and sent him his address, before getting up and showering.

-

Ray’s doorbell rang as he was drying off his hair. “Door’s open,” He called out from the bathroom. Cotton stood at attention at the top of the stairs, wondering who it was that would be coming in. Ray heard the door open and shut and then Gerard saying “Oh, sweet baby doggo!” quite loudly. Cotton ran down the stairs into his arms, making him laugh and giggle. Ray put the towel down on the counter and walked out of the bathroom, standing at the top of the stairs, smiling. “She really likes attention,” Ray said, making Gerard look at him. Gerard quickly turned red. “Uh, I mean, didn’t expect things to go so quickly, but-“ Ray swore under his breath as Gerard pointed out that he had forgot to put a shirt on. “It’s okay, though…I don’t. I don’t really care,” Gerard reassured Ray, who made mental note to be more open around Gerard, especially if they liked each other. “Well, I was just about to make dinner, if you wanna help,” Ray mentioned, pointing backwards towards the kitchen. “Oh, I’d love to. What’re we making?” Gerard asked, kicking off his shoes and walking up the stairs. “Chicken Alfredo,” Ray answered, eliciting an “ooh” from Gerard.

Ray grabbed the defrosted chicken off of the counter and set it off to the side, before rummaging through a few cupboards and cabinets for ingredients and tools. “I’ll cut the chicken,” Gerard said, grabbing said meat and finding a cutting board and knife. Ray filled a shallow pot with water and set it on the stove, putting a lid on it and turning the stove on. He fiddled around with something in his pocket and pulled out a hair tie, putting his hair up into a low ponytail, some pieces of his hair loose and un-tied at the front. Meanwhile, Gerard stared at him the entire time.

That was when Gerard realized that he was in love with Ray.

He turned back to the raw chicken breast on the counter in front of him and started cutting it into chunks, not realizing that Ray was a being a big distraction, what with him existing in the same room as Gerard and what-not. Gerard absently cut too close to his forefinger and slit the tip of it open, hissing at the pain as he tossed the knife away. “You okay?!” Ray said, turning around, panicked. “Ah, I just cut myself, I’ll be fine,” Gerard replied, turning the sink on and cleaning the wound, alongside his other hand. He heard Ray shuffle around in the bathroom before quickly returning. “Here, lemme see it,” Ray asked, gently holding Gerard’s hand. He grabbed a sheet of paper towel and dried Gerard’s hand off, before putting Neosporin and a band-aid on the cut. He kissed it after wrapping it up, making Gerard’s heart flutter wildly. “Thanks,” Gerard said as Ray took care of the plastic leftovers from the band-aid. “No problem,” Ray replied, as he tossed the pasta into the pot. “Now, lemme show you a better way of cutting,” Ray started, standing behind Gerard and grabbing the knife on the counter. 

Gerard melted.

Ray was practically pinning him against the edge of the counter, his body shielding Gerard. What Ray was saying to him was lost in whatever train of thought Gerard had going through his head. He looked up at Ray and turned, now facing him. They looked at each other, eyes glinting in the early evening sunset. 

They kissed. 

Ray put the knife back down on the counter, wrapping his arms around Gerard’s middle tightly. Gerard whimpered when Ray nipped at his bottom lip, their kiss turning into a make out session. “Fuck,” Gerard breathed out. They were interrupted by Gerard’s phone ringing loudly, jumping at the sound of his ringtone. “Hey,” Gerard said, answering his phone. He held his finger up as if to say ‘one moment’ and walked into Ray’s bedroom for privacy.

“What were you saying?” Gerard asked the person on the phone . “I was trying to say, when are you coming home?” The voice answered. “Mikey, I’ll be home around seven, I guess. Ray invited me over for dinner,” Gerard informed his brother. “He did?!” Mikey asked, his voice positively surprised. Gerard smiled. “Yeah, he did. I can come home now, if you need me to,” Gerard offered, worried that his brother wouldn’t be able to help himself all on his own. “Oh, I’ll be fine,” Mikey started. “I’m not fully blind, y’know,” he finished. “Yeah, I just worry about you. I don’t want you getting hurt,” Gerard said, his voice gentle with sympathy for his blind brother. “I’ll be okay. I love you,” Mikey said, his voice practically a whisper. “Same here. I’ll send some pizza over for dinner—your favorite,” Gerard said, before hanging up and pocketing his phone. “Who was that?” Ray asked him as he walked back out to the kitchen. “Oh, my little brother. Wondering when I’d be home,” Gerard answered. “Aw. You should probably go, then—He misses you,” Ray said, wrapping his arms around Gerard. “No, I mean, he does, but—it’s for a different reason,” Gerard started. “He’s going blind. I don’t know what the world looks like to him but all I know is that being blind at his age makes everything hard for him. Like, finding a job, finding a place to stay, healthcare, etc.,” Gerard finished, resting his head on Ray’s shoulder. 

Ray couldn’t relate to Gerard’s struggles but he could understand them. “Well, if you ever need help of any kind, you come to me, baby,” he said, kissing Gerard once more.

“Now, let’s finish making dinner, alright?”

-

Ray was plating their dinner as Gerard called Little Caesar’s for Mikey to get something to eat. “Would it be insensitive for me to ask how Mikey became blind?” Ray asked Gerard once he was off the phone. “No, you’re fine.” Gerard started. “Me and Mikey got into a car crash a few years back and he got a massive head injury, along with FND. HIs vision was fine at first but then he saw that it was getting blurred around the edges and it’s just…progressively gotten worse. Since his vision is terrible his brain can’t figure out what he’s supposed to be looking at so sometimes he’ll see things that aren’t there—Charles Bonnet Syndrome,” Gerard answered while grabbing his plate of food, sitting at the island between the kitchen and dining room. “He does really good with all of it, though,” Gerard continued after taking a bit of his pasta. “He’s medicated and gets routine checkups and therapy—I mean, not like its cheap, though,” Gerard finished. “Damn. Well, if you need a pick-me up for one of his bills, you know who to call.” Ray said, referring to himself as he sat down next to Gerard with his food. “Oh, no, we’ll be fine, it’s okay,” Gerard reassured. “Well, I’m always a call away.” Ray said, holding Gerard’s hand. Gerard looked down at their hands and blushed, his heart dropping out of his chest.

He looked back up at Ray. “What are we?” He asked. Ray smiled, the gold flecks in his brown eyes glinting in the sunlight coming in through the window. “I’d like to think we’re a couple,” He replied. “Can we be? I mean, we’re co-workers,” Gerard mentioned, making Ray chuckle. “It’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not like we have to tell anyone,” He said. Gerard smiled. “Thank you,” he replied. 

Without pulling their hands apart, Ray grabbed his fork and took a forkful of pasta off of Gerard’s plate and fed Gerard a bite. “Good?” He asked. Gerard’s eye lit up and he nodded eagerly. Ray smiled. They continued to eat their dinner, occasionally chatting in between bites of food.

Once they were done, Gerard retreated to the couch and Ray cleaned up their mess in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher and wiping down the counters. He joined Gerard on the couch, who was watching an old movie re-run from the fifties. “Man, I haven’t seen one of these since I moved out for college,” Ray said, making Gerard smile. “Me and Mikey watch—well, I watch, really—like, all the time after dinner. They just hit your heartstrings just right and make some good emotions up in your head,” Gerard explained, the sunset making his face look ethereal. Ray stared at him. Fuck, he was perfect. All he wanted was to be with him forever.

“Ray?”

Ray blinked. Gerard was looking at him straight-on, now, overwhelming Ray. Ray swallowed thickly. “I love you,” He said absently. “What?” Gerard asked, almost in shock. “I- I love you,” Ray repeated, his tone more confident. Gerard blushed. “You do?” He asked. Ray smiled. “Yes, I do,” he answered. “I love you too,” Gerard said, making Ray’s heart flutter. “I love you,” Gerard said it again, making Ray happily laugh and lean in to kiss him. They tangled themselves up in each other, high on their shared happiness, sharing more “I love you”’s between kisses. “Ray, my god, you’re perfect,” Gerard said, skating his hands over Ray’s chest before kissing him again. “Is it to early for- y’know, like-“ Gerard tried to ask but Ray shushed him. “We can go all the way if you want to,” He said, tangling his hands in Gerard’s hair. Gerard nodded silently and Ray kissed him again, starting a night neither of them would forget.

-

A harsh buzz woke Gerard up. It was his phone, the screen lighting up as Mikey called him. “Shit,” He said, picking his phone up. “Gerard? Are you still at Ray’s?” Mikey asked when Gerard finally answered. “Yeah, I am, I just-“ Gerard stopped himself. “I can come home if you need me to,” Gerard said, sitting upright. “No, don’t ditch him, that’ll break his heart. Stay until morning, at least. Besides, neither of you teach today or tomorrow.” Mikey reassured his brother. Gerard bit his lip and sighed. “I don’t like leaving you alone,” Gerard said. “I can see enough to drive, okay? I’ve got stickers that say “visually-impaired driver” on my car, no one’ll fuck with me. I’ll wear my glasses too. If you want me over there I can make it.” Mikey said. “Okay. I’ll send you his address, you can come around seven.” Gerard said, worried that his brother wouldn’t make it without him. “Thank you. Now go back to bed, it’s one in the morning. Love you,” Mikey said, before hanging up. 

Gerard put his phone back on the nightstand and laid down. The bed creaked and it’s sheets rustled as Ray wrapped his arms around Gerard, spooning him. “You okay?” Ray asked, his voice groggy from sleep. “Yeah. I just don’t like leaving him alone,” Gerard said, as Ray re-positioned himself to lay partly on Gerard and partly off of him, playing with his hair. Ray kissed him gently. “He’ll be okay. Just because he has a disability doesn’t mean he needs to be babied,” Ray told Gerard once he pulled away from him. “I know, I just get worried.” Gerard replied. Ray kissed him again. “He’ll be okay. Trust me, baby,” Ray reassured him. Gerard kissed him again, starting something that’d keep them awake for another hour or so. 

-

Gerard was snuggled into Ray’s arms when he heard the doorbell ring. Cotton got up and started barking. “Oh, it’s Mikey,” Gerard said, getting up and walking down to the landing to see his brother. He unlocked the door and opened it, being greeted by his smiling brother. “Told you I’d make it in one piece!” Mikey joked, taking his glasses off and putting them in their case. He ticked a wink and shut the door behind him as he walked in. “You should’ve showered after sex,” Mikey casually said as he took off his shoes, making Gerard choke on his own spit. “What? I’m right,” Mikey said, pulling out his cane and tapping up the stairs as he walked up them. Gerard followed him. “So you’re Mikey, right?” Ray said, facing Mikey while partly using his teacher voice. “Yep. Don’t know who else I’d be,” Mikey said, making Ray chuckle. “Ah—could you push the coffee table out a little bit? I’m not good with navigating small spaces,” Mikey said, holding up his cane. “Sure,” Ray said, doing as he was asked. “Thank you,” Mikey replied, subconsciously reaching a hand out towards Ray for balance as he walked over to find a spot on the couch. He sat down and put his cane away, before Cotton came over and hopped on him, sniffing him intently. Mikey jumped and put his hands up in fear. “It’s a dog, Mikey, it’s okay. She just wants to know who you are,” Gerard said, sitting in between Ray and Mikey. “Oh, yeah, you’re right,” Mikey said, visibly relaxing. He smiled and started petting her, scratching her behind her ears. “Her name is Cotton, she’s a German Shepherd.” Gerard explained. “That gives me a better understanding,” Mikey said, briefly looking towards his brother. “What did you see at first, Mikey?” Gerard asked. “It just looked like a blob of darkness before, almost like one of those shadow people I see. The teeth on her didn’t really help,” Mikey explained, looking at Cotton intently. “Hm. Well, since it’s a new environment, just tell me what you see.” Gerard said, briefly playing with his brother’s hair before getting up to use the restroom.

Ray had forgotten that Mikey saw things that weren’t there. He had also forgotten that he had tics as well, being offended for a short period of time after Mikey flipped him off and said “cunt”. It was resolved, though, Ray learning to laugh at his tics as Mikey had wanted him to. “I was on medication to calm them down if they get too wild-“ Mikey paused to tic. “-but I’ve been pulled off of them to be desensitized to tic attacks when I start having them,” Mikey explained to Ray. “Do tics hurt?” Ray asked before taking a sip of his coffee. “Mine do, but that’s because most of them are full or half-body convulsions,” Mikey replied. “They’re a lot more intense now that I’m losing my sight,” He started, pushing his blonde hair out of his face to reveal his cloudy eyes. “I currently need a vitrectomy but they’re really expensive, especially since Gerard is the only form of income in our house.” Mikey finished, putting his hand back down and letting his hair cover his eyes again. Ray felt bad. He knew he had the money to help but Gerard had refused it. He wasn’t sure if he should offer it to Mikey or call it quits. 

“Gerard mentioned you when you dropped him Christopher off during lunch,” Mikey said. “He said that you felt like smoking a cigarette during a eastern September sunset.” He finished, shocking Ray. “He- he said that about me?” Ray asked, intrigued. “Yeah. He said he saw oranges and bloody magentas when he thought of you. I haven’t yet asked him what you taste like when he kisses you but I’d like to imagine it’s something just as spectacular as he describes the rest of you.” Mikey explained, overwhelming Ray with emotions. He never thought Gerard was that poetic of a guy, but here he was, shocked. “I’ll ask him tonight, I guess. Man, that really makes my heart flutter,” Ray commented, making Mikey chuckle.

-


End file.
